Ski pants

ABSTRACT

SKI PANTS INCLUDE A LEG PORTION HAVING AN AREA IN THE VICINITY OF THE LOCATION OF THE ANKLE WHICH IS MADE OF ELASTIC MATERIAL. THE AREA COMPRISES A CENTRAL RHOMBIC PORTION WHICH IS FORMED BY SLITTING AWAY THE MATERIAL OF THE SKI PANTS AND JOINING THE SLIT-AWAY PORTIONS BY ELASTIC MATERIAL, WHICH MAY, FOR EXAMPLE, COMPRISE AN ELASTIC CLOTH WITH THREADS WHICH INTERSECT AND PROVIDE ELASTIC SUPPORT IN AT LEAST TWO DIRECTIONS.

June 29, 1971 E EL 3,588,919

SKI PANTS Filed April 23, 1969 INVENTOR Ema Geo/w ELZER wav /Mu ATTORNEYS United States Patent US. Cl. 2-227 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Ski pants include a leg portion having an area in the vicinity of the location of the ankle which is made of elastic material. The area comprises a central rhombic portion which formed by slitting away the material of the ski pants and joining the slit-away portions by elastic material, which may, for example, comprise an elastic cloth with threads which intersect and provide elastic support in at least two directions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to the construction of ski pants, and in particular, to new and useful ski pants having an elastic area formed between the front and rear crease lines in the vicinity of the ankle.

In the known ski pants constructions, the fabric material of the pants may be slit along a seam line which extends substantially straight. The slit area is covered by means of an elastic piece of cloth which is sewn with the slit, but at a distance from the slit borders and parallel thereto. When a person has very narrow legs it is possible to get into the pants only by stretching the elastic cloth. After entering the pants, the elastic cloth closes the slit so that it looks like a straight extension of the seam. A disadvantage of this design is that it does not permit the tight fitting of the ski pants in the range of the ankle so that the leg must be surrounded in the range of the ankle adjacent the boot edge with the folds of the ski pants material, which leads to unpleasant pressure on the ankle.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a ski pants construction which includes a substantially rhombic slot defined in the material of the ski pants which is closed by a fabric or by intersecting elastic threads in a manner such that the material of the ski pants will hug the leg of the wearer around the ankle but will not prevent the easy application and removal of the ski pants from the wearer. The elastic area includes a diverging downwardly extending top portion and a lower portion which converges into the area of the foot encircling strap at the lower end of the ski leg. The elastic area may be closed by elastic threads or elastic cloth which is sewn with the slit borders. A cloth or the elastic thread is advantageously made so that it is elastic in at least two directions with the threads extending at an angle between the upper and lower corners of the opening. The construction is such that the leg will hug the ankle tightly and any formation of folds in the range of the boot edge will be avoided. The present invention is an improvement over the prior art not in respect to the cutaway area in the vicinty of the ankle but in the provision of the elastic insert at such area which ensures the drawing together of the fabric material of the ski pants at such location.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved ski pants which includes an area on at least one side of the pants leg of the ski pants made of elastic 3,588,919 Patented June 29, 1971 material and preferably having elasticity in at least two directions and arranged to draw the material of the ski pants tightly around the leg of the wearer at such location.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ski pants which are simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The only figure of the drawing is a side elevational view of a ski pants constructed in accordance with the invention.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawing in particular, the invention embodied therein comprises a pair of ski pants which includes leg portions 1 have a rhombic elastic area 3 which is centered at the location of the area opposed to the wearers ankle and between the front crease 4 and the rear crease 5.

In accordance with the invention, the fabric material of each leg 1 at the elastic area 3 is formed by a piece of cloth which is elastic in two directions and which is sewn along the borders of the elastic area. In order to form the elastic area 3 the material of the pants is slit to form a cutaway area which diverges at the lower end of the leg at a location above the normal position of the ankle to a maximum divergence at the location of the ankle. The elastic area 3 then converges to a central location at the lowermost end which forms into the encircling strap portion 6 of the pants legs. The elastic area 3 may be provided on each side of the pants legs 1 if desired. The construction permits the expansion of the ski pants in the direction of the scam and perpendicular thereto in order to permit easy entrance of the persons leg and ensures that the material of the pants will conform to the configuration of the wearer around the ankle so that bunching of the garment will not take place within the boot.

What is claimed is:

1. A ski pants construction constructed to fit the wearer without requiring folding of the material within a ski boot, comprising at least one leg portion having a substantially vertical seam centered between the front and rear of said leg portion, said leg portion having a lowermost leg encircling strap, the material forming said leg portion being cut away to form a substantially rhombic opening having upper and lower corners centered on said seam with said lower corner extending downwardly below the ankle area into said strap and said upper corner extending upwardly at least to a level corresponding to the top of the boot, said opening being widened centrally in the area of the ankle of the wearer and extending over a major portion of the width of the leg portion on each saide of the vertical seam and termnating in a side corner on each side and a substantially rhombic area of elastic material of substantially the size of said opening being secured to said leg portion adjacent the edges of said opening.

2. A ski pants construction, according to claim 1, wherein said elastic material includes threads which extend at an angle between said corners.

3 3. A ski pants construction, according to claim 1, wherein said elastic material comprises a cloth material having elasticity in at least two directions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,823,458 9/1931 Mag er 2232AUX 4 FOREIGN PATENTS 3/ 1965 France 2227 2/1952 Germany 2227 1/ 1933 Italy 2232 8/ 1962 Switzerland 2232A H. HAMPTON HUNTER, Primary Examiner 

